


put my name at the top of your list

by an_expensive_imagination



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, I am indeed back on my bullshit, Jughead Falls First, canon up to like 4x18 aka The Musical, featuring the Cheryl/Jughead/Toni friendship no one asked for but I was in the mood for, fuck frenemies to fuck buddies to lovers, minor Choni, minor barchie mentions, there is Angst ™ in this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25581775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_expensive_imagination/pseuds/an_expensive_imagination
Summary: “Was I really just revenge sex for you?” Jughead asks quietly, staring straight ahead now to avoid eye contact.Veronica cuts her eyes towards Archie and Betty for a beat. She turns to face Jughead, arms crossed over chest. “Revenge sex was all I could afford, Jug,” she replies, tone much too soft and a half-smile on her lips.
Relationships: Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 65
Kudos: 194





	1. just you and me

“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.”  
 _Benedick (act 5, scene 2)_  
—Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

* * *

Jughead is getting really, gloriously drunk right now. 

Truthfully, Jughead’s never been much of a drinker beyond the occasional beer at a party, and even then it’s rare. He knows all too well what alcohol has done to his family. It’s been a while now, but he still vividly remembers how bad F.P. used to get during the worst of his drinking binges. 

But...well, if finding out your girlfriend has been cheating on you with your best friend doesn’t get you a free pass to get drunk off your ass, then Jughead doesn’t know what will. 

It’s how he ended up at Le Bonne Nuit on this fine evening: he needed to get drunk.

* * *

Jughead slams his hand on the bar repeatedly. “Reggie!” he calls out. “I’ll have another one.”

“Listen, Jones, I think you’ve had enough for the night,” Reggie says, placing a water bottle in front of him. “That’s straight tequila you’ve been pounding back, dude.”  
  
Jughead opens his mouth to argue that point, but he’s cut off before he even starts. 

“Pour it,” Veronica instructs, perching herself on the barstool next to Jughead’s. “His drinks are on the house tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets home.”

Reggie leans over the bar and whispers to her. “Ron, you’re not exactly good to drive right now, either.”

“Allow me to rephrase, dearest Reggie,” Veronica starts with a mock-serious tone, “Smithers will be chauffeuring us both to our respective domiciles this evening. So bring him his drink, and refill mine while you’re at it.”

Reggie sighs, glancing between the pair for a beat, but he grabs 2 fresh glasses and fills them up - rum for her, tequila for him. 

Veronica grabs the glass and downs half of it in a single gulp. It’s hard to tell at a glance, but Jughead notices she’s drunk, too. 

“What?” 

Jughead purses his lips. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“You don’t know me at all, Jones.”

“Fair point,” Jughead concedes. “I need another drink.”

“Me too.” Veronica reaches for the rum bottle and pours out two shots. “Never really thought I’d be getting drunk with you of all people.”

“Do you have a better option at this time?” Jughead reaches for his own glass and downs it. The taste of maple and rum doesn’t mix well with the tequila, but he can barely notice that right now. 

“As it turns out,” Veronica sniffs, shaking her head, “I do not.”

Jughead shrugs. “Well, misery does love company.“

“Cheers!” Veronica grabs the glass and downs it. “Drink up. This is the good stuff, and like I said, tonight’s on me.”

“You should know by now,” Jughead says, “you can’t impress me with all your money.”

Veronica smirks, rolling her eyes. “ _You_ should know by now,” she counters, “my money is the least impressive thing about me, Torombolo.”

She actually winks and Jughead rolls his eyes right back at her. He grabs the glass and pounds the drink back like a shot. 

It’s going to be a long night. 

* * *

Half a bottle in, whatever filter they had left has long ago been obliterated by the alcohol. 

Veronica shakes her head. “I can’t believe I actually told him we were endgame once.”

Jughead snorts at that. “Yeah, you don’t get to call me pretentious anymore. That is some next level drivel, Lodge.”

“Hey! Get off the high horse, _beanie boy_ ,” Veronica bites back, “Betty told me all about your little ‘I’m a weirdo’ speech, so clearly I’m not the only one prone to say some cringe-worthy shit while under duress.”

Jughead coughs, choking on his drink. “Betty told you about that?”

“Of course she did, I’m her bes-” _Best friend_. The words die on her tongue before she says them. She clears her throat. “Yes, she mentioned it.”

“So I guess love does make idiots out us all.”

Veronica wants to say that she’s pretty sure he’s bastardizing someone with that, but she can’t quite formulate the words at this moment.

For a second, she wonders what he’d taste like right now. (Alcohol, probably.) Getting drunk off that mouth seems tempting suddenly, but she pushes the thought away. _God_ , he is such a smart-ass.

“You are such a smart-ass,” she accuses. 

A loose curl falls in front of his eyes as he nods, and the urge to push it back is so strong, that she has to curl her free hand into a fist.   
  
“I think it’s time to call it a night and go home.”

Jughead’s grin falters when the realization hits him. “ _I can’t_ ,” he near-whispers. He clears his throat. “I can’t. My room is right across from Betty’s. I don’t wanna...”

Veronica reaches for his hand. “You don’t have to. Come on.”

* * *

They stand outside Pop’s, waiting for Smithers to bring the car around. Jughead has an arm around Veronica’s shoulders and she has an arm circling his waist, and both would be quick to say it’s because they’re stumbling and it helps to have someone solid to hold on to. 

Except when he loses his footing, she falls right along with him. They land on the front steps and they sit up, side by side. 

“Finally pulled you down to my level, huh.”

Veronica stares at him quizzically and he laughs.

“Sorry. For a second there I forgot you‘re classy as fuck. Never mind. Not your fault you’re a princess, after all.”

She realizes he wasn’t being sarcastic. Of course he’d assume she’s never sat on street steps before. However, she doesn’t take the bait. “Well, it’s not my fault you’re in constant, tongue-tied awe of my sofistication, either.” 

Jughead actually smiles. “I suppose not.”

The town car pulls up and Veronica stands. She waves Smithers over and turns around, reaching down to grab Jughead’s hand and pulling him to his feet. 

* * *

They sit side by side in the back of the town car, heads thrown back. Jughead turns, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. “It’s really weird,” he says suddenly, “being here, with you. What are we even doing?”

Veronica turns to look at him, their faces a little too close for comfort now. “You think it’s weird?” 

Jughead nods. “I do.”

Veronica moves closer now. “What about now?” Their foreheads are pressed together, he can feel her breath on his lips. 

Jughead swallows. “I don’t know now.”

“And how about now?” Veronica whispers before pressing her mouth to his. 

It’s a clumsy kiss, noses bumping and she accidentally bites his lip, which actually makes him moan.

But most surprising is the fact his lips on hers feels so _good_. 

Smithers clearing his throat forces them apart. “We’re home, Ms. Veronica.”

* * *

Veronica shifts their positions so that she’s straddling him in bed. She’s tugging off his t-shirt when she suddenly fumbles and pulls away. “How drunk are you?” she asks, chest heaving. 

“I’m good,” Jughead says, licking his lips. “I wanna do this, I want you.”

Veronica smiles then, for a second she’s practically beaming. And then the second passes and her mouth is on his again, and he’s having a hard time formulating a coherent thought when she’s doing that thing with her tongue. Her hands tug on his t-shirt again and this time he lifts his arms, allowing her to pull it off over his head and toss it aside. 

“Hold on, wait a sec,” Jughead breathes heavily. “ _Ronnie_.” 

Veronica stops, pulling back to look into his _blue blue blue_ eyes. She doesn’t think he’s ever called her that before.

 _Ronnie_.

The all too familiar nickname sounds so foreign coming from his mouth. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asks, unable to short-circuit the Jughead Overthink, as per usual. “Girls like you never hook up with guys like me.”

“What would you know about girls like me?” Her lips are on his again immediately, kissing him urgently. 

“I just...wanna make sure you’re comfortable...” he mutters the words in between wet kisses. 

“And I just want you to fuck me.” Veronica gives him a look, as if he’s complete idiot for slowing things down. “Do you know how?”

Jughead brings a hand up to her hair, crashing their lips together once more, pulling her even closer. When she starts kissing down the slope of his neck, biting down on his pulse point, he lets out a moan. 

“Yeah,” he mutters, “I do.”

And, quite frankly a bit to Veronica’s surprise, he does indeed know how. 

* * *

When he wakes up, it takes Jughead a while to figure out where he is.

He spots a glass of water on the bedside table and downs it in a single gulp. His tongue feels like sand paper. He furrows his brow in thought, pretty sure that he’s never actually been in Veronica’s room before this. 

As soon as he manages to stand, he goes about gathering clothes. He finds his boxers hanging off the ceiling fan and briefly wonders how that happened, but any effort to concentrate right now only worsens the headache pounding in his temples.

He can hear the shower running, Veronica humming some song, and he gets dressed in a hurry. 

He needs to be anywhere but here. 

* * *

Jughead walks out of the elevator carrying his one shoe in his hand and nods hello at Smithers, trying to avoid eye contact. 

“Mr. Jones.”

Jughead stops, squeezing his eyes shut. _Shit out of luck_. “Morning, Smithers,” he greets with a small wave. 

“The keys to your motorcycle,” Smithers says, handing over the aforementioned keys. “And this,” he adds, pulling out his left Converse. “You left it in the car last night.”

Jughead blinks. He has so many questions right now, including who actually drove his bike over from Pop’s, but his need to run away wins out over his curiosity for once.

He mumbles a thank you and leaves. 

* * *

“You know, if you wanted to hide from me,” Veronica’s voice causes Jughead to bolt up to sit straight, “you probably should’ve avoided my place of business.”

After leaving the Pembrooke, he’d snuck into his bedroom through a window and packed up the essentials in his trusty duffel. He hadn’t actually worked out where he’d go, so of course he’d ended up in his regular booth at Pop’s. 

“Veronica. I wasn’t,” he stutters his words. “I mean, it wasn’t-” 

Veronica raises a hand to stop his rant before it can start. “Relax. It’s not like I’d expected you to spoon with me afterwards.”

Jughead smirks at that. The quick wit has always been one of her best qualities.

He furrows his brow and wants to ask her how she’s not even a little bit wrecked from their binge last night. She looks flawless as ever, her waitress uniform neatly pressed and her hair pulled up. Completely ready for work. 

She’s being blunt so he reacts in kind. “I just...figured you wouldn’t be into an awkward morning-after talk.”

“Way to know your audience.” She sets a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of him. “You look like shit.”

Jughead opens his mouth, but then closes it. He does, in fact, look like shit. Meanwhile, she looks great. Not much of a comeback he can make at the moment.

“I can leave, if you want,” he offers instead.

Veronica frowns when she notices Jughead tugging at an overflowing duffel bag. “What the hell, Jughead?”

“I told you,” Jughead swallows, “I’m not going back to the Cooper house to play happy families and sleep one room away from Betty.”

“So what’s your plan? You’re just gonna be homeless until graduation?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he mutters, but she hears him loud and clear. 

Veronica sighs, pulling out a set of keys and sliding them over. “There’s a cot in the back room. Not much, but it’ll do for tonight.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, I’d offer the guest room at the Pembrooke, but my parents are back tonight. Figure you and my dad under the same roof wouldn’t be such a hot idea. I’ll find you something else by Monday.”

Jughead takes the keys and studies them for a beat. “Wouldn’t figure you’d do this. It isn’t really your style.”

“What, helping you out?” Veronica snorts, arching her eyebrows. “Thanks a lot.”

“I just,” he shakes his head, “didn’t realize you cared.”

“Well. Goes to show you, Jughead Jones doesn’t actually know everything.”

That pulls a half smile out of him. “Back room will be fine, you don’t have to do anything else.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she replies. “Of course I’m finding you someplace else. Oh, here,” she pulls his beanie from one of the pockets of her apron. “You forgot this...”

Jughead runs his fingers over it, staring at his once beloved security blanket. “Can you toss it?” He slides it back towards her. 

Veronica frowns. Either she heard him wrong or hell is actually freezing over. “Are you serious?”

“You guys burned the original one,” he says. “Betty made this for me, but as it turns out I don’t really want anything from her. Not anymore. So yeah. Throw it away.”

Veronica takes it back and walks away. “I’ll get your usual going in the kitchen,” she calls over her shoulder before stuffing the beanie into the trash can. “If you’re hungry.”

Jughead smirks. “I’m always hungry.”

* * *

  
Next Monday, Cheryl Blossom struts into _The Blue & Gold _newsroom and perches herself on the edge of Jughead’s desk, crossing her legs. 

“I want it noted on the record that this is a ridiculous idea, bound for failure,” she declares before tossing him a set of old-fashioned keys. 

“What the hell, Cheryl?”

Cheryl rolls her eyes, throwing her hair over her left shoulder. “Veronica has called upon our friendship for a favor,” she replies. “You are now welcome to partake in the hospitality of Thistlehouse. Both my T.T. and Veronica have vouched for you.”

Jughead’s jaw drops. “You _gotta_ be shitting me.”

“Don’t I wish.” Cheryl grins, but to him it feels like she’s baring her teeth. “Spare me the display of false bravado. I know I call you hobo, but I’m assuming you don’t actually want to live like one.”

“I’m not gonna mooch off you and live in your house of horrors until graduation.” 

“Nor would I allow you to do so,” Cheryl replies. “Quid pro quo, Jughead. Veronica also indicated that you’d help out with Nana and the twins.” 

“You hate me,” Jughead deadpans. “You seriously want me to move in with you?”

“I don’t hate you. In fact, I think very little of you in general.” Cheryl sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. “Truth be told, even with Toni’s help, it’s been a bit overwhelming handling Nana’s care as well and Dagwood and Juniper, especially now that they’re crawling. It’d be nice to have the extra help. So, fair trade?”

Jughead thinks about it and shrugs, shaking her hand. “Yeah, fair enough. Thanks, Cheryl.”

Fucking hell, is this really happening? Is he actually going to be Cheryl Blossom’s roommate? 

“You can move in after school. T.T will be waiting for you.”

This is bound to end in disaster. 

* * *

“Cheryl Blossom.” Jughead marches up to the counter at Pop’s and plops down in front of Veronica. “ _That’s_ your brilliant idea?”

Veronica smirks, pretending to be intensely focused on refilling the salt shakers. “You’re welcome.”

Jughead scoffs. “That wasn’t me thanking you.”

“Of course not. Since when have you ever been pleasant and agreeable.” She words it as a statement rather than a question. “Thistlehouse is huge. Cheryl and Toni need help, and you need a roof. It seemed like an elegant solution to an inelegant problem. Now, can I get you anything or are you just going to loiter?”

Jughead sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Burger, please,” he says, then waits until her back’s turned to add, “thank you.”

“Better late than never, I suppose,” Veronica calls over her shoulder. 

Jughead watches her disappear into the kitchen, brow furrowed and a smirk tugging at his lips. 

_This year has been a fuckfest of epic proportions_ , he thinks.

Then: _Am I...actually_ friends _with Veronica Lodge now_?


	2. no reasons why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So. Never again…?" he wonders with a smirk. 
> 
> Veronica bites his bottom lip, tugging at it playfully. “Fuck you.”
> 
> “Yes,” he agrees. “We both know you like it when I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Absolutely everything I had written for this got deleted by mistake. So I’ve had to reimagine the whole thing. Which is why the update is so late and the final result is quite different from whatever I originally imagined.

“For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?”  
 _Benedick (act 5, scene 2)_  
—Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

* * *

As it turns out, moving into Jason Blossom’s old room...isn’t necessarily as weird as one would expect. 

“No other bedrooms were free, huh?” Jughead sets his duffle-bag down on the floor and glances around. 

The room appears to have remained untouched. Picture-frames, football trophies, books, a letterman jacket hanging off the back of the desk-chair: it all gives the impression that Jason Blossom will walk in at any second to resume his life. 

“Cheryl hasn’t been able to bring herself to pack anything up.” Toni leans against the doorframe and slides her hands into her back pockets. “Actually, I don’t think she’s been in here at all since we moved in.”

By this point, Toni is more or less used to her girlfriend’s... _eccentricities_. At least for the most part. 

“I figured this was her way of getting someone else to deal with it,” she adds. “There’s fresh sheets in the closet. Do you want some help boxing everything else up?”

Jughead nods, says, “That’d be good.”

They spend the next couple of hours sorting through everything. Clothes set aside for Goodwill (Toni sets the letterman jacket aside in case Cheryl wants to keep it), trophies to be returned to the school, pictures and other personal knickknacks for storage, and books to be donated (Jughead decides to keep a well-loved copy of _On the Road_ for himself). 

The place doesn’t look half-bad by the time they’re through. 

Jughead grabs the last picture-frame off the dresser, a shot of Jason and Cheryl in front of Thornhill. 

Jason grins that Golden Boy grin and Cheryl stands behind him, arms wrapped around his chest, beaming at the camera. 

They look normal. _Happy_. 

So much has changed...

“Here,” he clears his throat, handing the frame over. “It’s a nice shot.”

Toni looks at it for a beat and nods. “I’ll give it to Cher. She’ll probably want to keep it.”

“Um, I just wanted to say, thank you.” Jughead shoves his hands into his jeans’ pockets and rocks on his heels a bit. “Cheryl said you’d vouched for me, and this is really saving my ass right now. So thanks, Tone. Seriously.”

Toni smiles, punches his shoulder. “Always,” she assures him. “I got your back. You’re still family, Juggie.” She winks at him before she leaves. 

It feels good, he decides, like something’s been resolved between them. It’s nice to be on solid ground Toni again. 

* * *

Truth be told, Veronica isn’t sure what she pictured Jughead living at Thistlehouse would look like. But somehow she hadn’t been expecting this. 

Jughead opens the front door with a toddler sitting on his shoulders, giggling and pulling at his long hair. 

“Hey,” he greets, surprise in his tone. “You’re here...”

She flashes him a smile. “Catch you at a busy time?” 

“Not at all.” Jughead deftly maneuvers Dagwood off his shoulders and into his arms. “Do you wanna come in? Cheryl said that all visitor requests had to be submitted for her pre-approval in writing, but I’m assuming you already have visitation privileges.”

Sadly, Veronica isn’t entirely sure he’s joking about that. She knows better than most how mercurial Cheryl’s temperament can be. “Got you babysitting already, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” he says. “It’s date night, and Cheryl kindly informed me it was time to start earning my keep.”

Veronica nods, glancing around the foyer. She’s not sure why she even came in. She only stopped to make sure Jughead actually moved in and wasn’t carrying on sleeping in the street or wherever. 

“Well, I do apologize for showing up unannounced.” She clears her throat, hands clasped on her purse. 

Jughead smirks at the polite comment. Always so proper. If finishing schools were indeed still a thing, surely Veronica Lodge must have been finished in one before she landed in Riverdale. 

“Let me just put Dag down for the night. He got a little fuzzy, but I think I tired him out.” He nods towards the stairs, adds, “Um, my room’s the third one on the left. I’ll be right there.”

* * *

“You know, you kinda looked like you knew what you were doing back there.” Veronica leans back, half sitting on the desk, and glances around the room. 

“Big brother, remember,” Jughead is quick to point out. “I used to watch Jellybean after school.” 

He leans against the doorframe and watches while Veronica fiddles with his bracelets on top of the desk while she studiously takes everything in. 

They’ve settled on opposite sides of the room, and neither is sure if they did it on purpose or if it just happened. 

But it feels safer somehow, to stand on neutral corners. 

“You seem to have moved in okay,” she comments after a beat. 

“Yeah.” He clears his throat. “Uh, can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?” He’s desperate for anything that could possibly make this less awkward. 

Veronica stands and crosses her arms over her chest. “You and I are like oil and water.” 

When he frowns, she adds, “Jughead, come on...don’t look at me like that.”

“Like _what_?” Jughead scoffs. 

“You _know_. This isn’t going anywhere.” Veronica moves, slowly inching closer towards him. “And if we carry on like this, it won’t end well.” 

“I completely agree. But why did you come all the way over here to tell me that?” Jughead crosses his own arms, mirroring her posture. He moves to meet her halfway. “You could’ve just sent me a text.”

Veronica smirks at that. He’s certainly got her there. “I’m just saying, it’s best to leave it,” she clarifies. “And I wanted to make sure the message got through.”

“Message is coming in loud and clear,” Jughead assures her, a hint of irony in his tone. 

“Good.” Her eyes dart down to his lips. “Glad everything is sorted.”

“Very sorted,” he says with a nod before closing the distance between them and pulling her in for a kiss. 

He’s not sure what he’s expecting to happen here, if he’s hoping she’ll kiss him back or that she’ll pull away. But the question evaporates when her hands move up to tangle in his hair and pull him into her.

She grabs his shirt, breaking off a few buttons when she rips it open as he runs his hands up her thighs, working his way up under her skirt until it’s hitched up. He lifts her up and she wraps her legs around his waist. 

“Is this okay?” She nods and he settles her against the desk, and then they just look at each other. He settles his hands on either side of her, doesn’t look away. For a second it feels intimate in a way that isn’t sexual. 

“You’re overthinking something,” she says, licking her lips and then shaking her head. “Don’t think. Come on, Jughead. Don’t back up now.” Then she grabs his face and kisses him again, leaning back and pulling him down on top of her, her hands already undoing his belt. 

* * *

Veronica never imagined she’d be doing the walk of shame out of Thistlehouse at 4 a.m., but there is indeed a first time for everything. 

She stands on the curb, heels in her hand, and waits for her driver to arrive. 

She hadn’t been planning to spend the night. Hell, she hadn’t been planning any of this. 

God, why did she even sleep with Jughead again?

It’s a stupid question, she’s aware. 

She did it because she wanted to. 

Because it’d been good that first time when they were drunk and fumbling, and it had been even better last night when he fucked her on his desk and then on his bed. 

Because she had wanted to feel _good_ , and she wasn’t in the business of denying herself the things she wanted. 

Not anymore. 

There’s something petty about it as well, she realizes. 

To be sleeping with her ex-boyfriend’s best friend after he cheated on her feels almost poetic in a way. 

But that’s all moot.

Because they aren’t going to do this again. 

* * *

When Jughead wakes up, he’s alone in bed, but the smell of Chanel No. 5 lingers on his sheets. 

It’s not until he’s standing in front of the bathroom mirror after his shower that he notices the sizable bruise forming on his neck. 

Before he can think about it too much, he reaches for his phone. 

_I’m sporting a substantial hickey right now_ , he texts. 

Veronica’s answer comes in fast. _Heat of the moment._

Jughead smirks, considering this. _And the middle of the night disappearing act?_

_Extenuating circumstances._

Jughead rolls his eyes as he types out a reply. _Extenuating circumstances such as...the fact that you’re an extra special princess?_

Veronica shoots back 3 replies in quick succession: _Such as the fact that I figured it was in both of our best interests that Cheryl not find me in bed with you._

And: _Besides, I thought we’d established a no spooning policy._

Then: _Not that we’ll be needing one moving forward. Since this isn’t happening again._

He sighs to himself, setting his phone down and towel drying his hair. 

They should leave it, she’s right. 

And he’s fine with it, really. 

It’s a crazy idea, anyways, the two of them. 

* * *

The scene in the kitchen is so domestic that Jughead just stands there staring for a minute. 

Toni’s at the counter, whipping up pancakes from scratch while Cheryl settles the twins into their high-chairs for breakfast. 

It’s all seems very idyllic until Cheryl snaps at him. “ _Finally_!” She thrusts a bowl with cereal and fruit at his chest. “You can feed Juniper and I’ll get Dagwood.”

Jughead sighs and pulls up a stool to sit in front of Juniper. “Good morning to you too, ginger snap,” he mutters under his breath. 

“Don’t think I didn’t catch that, hobo,” Cheryl shoots back immediately. 

Jughead exchanges a look with Toni who just shrugs. “My girl never misses a beat,” she says as she pours the pancake mix onto the griddle. “And I hope you like Nutella and peanut butter in your pancakes ‘cause these are my specialty.”

“Not your only specialty,” Cheryl adds, winking at her girlfriend. “Although her loaded pancakes are wonderfully decadent, I have to admit.”

Jughead chuckles at that. “Those sound incredible. Thanks, Tone.”

“Figured we should have something special to mark your official first night at Thistlehouse,” Toni explains with an optimistic smile. “I have a good feeling about this.” 

The silent glance that’s exchanged between Jughead and Cheryl confirms that Toni is indeed the only one expecting this living arrangement will work out in the long run. 

Still, it takes them less than a week to fall into a comfortable morning routine at home. 

Toni handles breakfast for all of them while Cheryl and Jughead get the twins ready for daycare. As it turns out, both Juniper and Dagwood love Jughead. 

The girls will usually handle drop-offs and pick-ups since Jughead drives his bike to school, but he’ll take the car on the days Toni and Cheryl have cheer practice all afternoon. 

Sure, Cheryl and Jughead still exchange barbs on a daily basis while Toni takes on the role of reluctant referee, but there’s a sort of fondness that starts developing in their bickering.

In fact, on Friday morning when Cheryl greets him with, “About time you came down, hobo. We’re going to be late.”

And Jughead replies, “Easy, ginger, we’ll make it on time.” 

Well, Toni just rolls her eyes and leaves them be. But there’s a hint of affection there. She knows both of them too well not to pick up on it. 

Progress is progress. 

* * *

Pop’s is always pretty dead at 2 a.m. on a Friday night, which is exactly why Veronica picked up the graveyard shift. She has paperwork to catch up on and a paper to finish, and truthfully she just isn’t in the mood to deal with anyone. 

It’s why she’s an even mixture of surprised and annoyed when Jughead walks through the door and sits on the stool right in front of her. She doesn’t look up from her ledgers, leaves him sitting there in silence for a while. She’s determined not to be the first one to say anything until the jukebox starts up again. 

Veronica glances at it with a smile. “Looks like they’re finally playing my song.”

Jughead furrows his brow. It’s 80’s music, but he’s struggling to place it. “You picked this?” he asks, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. “It sounds like the song at the end of a cheesy movie.”

“Hey, in this establishment we respect power ballads,” Veronica replies, mock-serious. “This is a classic, by the way.”

“Is this...REO Speedwagon?”

“Yes! And get ready cause I spent an entire roll of quarters to put all my favorites in the queue.”

“You’re just full of surprises, Lodge.”

“It’s part of my charm.” Veronica shrugs, flashing him a dazzling smile. “ _And I meant every word I said. When I said that I love you I meant that I love you foreveeeeeeer_!” She belts it out, ever in perfect key, and raises an eyebrow. As if daring him to join in. 

Jughead rolls his eyes and watches her continue to sing, swaying along to the beat. When she tosses a pen at his head, he caves. 

“ _I don't wanna sleep, I just wanna keep on lovin’ youuuuu_ ,” he joins in, fighting off a smile. “You’re such a cliche,” he says when the song ends. 

“Honestly, I can’t stand you sometimes.” But she’s smiling again, big and uncontained. 

He tuts. “Only sometimes?”

She shakes her head. “Why are you here, Jughead?”

“Just...haven’t seen you around all week.”

“ _And_? It’s not like we’re friends. In fact, now that we’re not with our former paramours, we don’t really have much cause to hang out at all.”

To be fair, she has indeed been making a point of not crossing paths with Jughead all week long. Easier to avoid making a mistake when you literally, physically avoid it. 

Not to mention the fact that whatever restraint or sense of modesty had kept Betty and Archie from going all out at the whole being a couple thing seems to have dissipated in the past few days as well. 

More than once Veronica had spotted them holding hands, sneaking a kiss, being nauseatingly coupled in the halls at school. 

Acting as if it didn’t sting was getting to be draining, and Veronica hadn’t wanted to add a verbal sparring match with Jughead to her to-do list. 

"Well, I keep thinking I know what you look like naked now," he adds. 

He can’t seem to get it out of his head, in fact. 

Her cheeks flush despite herself, but she meets his stare. “I recall,” she says. “I also recall that we’d agreed to leave it.”

Jughead shrugs, pouting in fake innocence. “If that’s what you want...”

He licks his lips and she can’t seem to look away. God, is this seriously happening right now? She leans over the counter, grabbing a hold of his t-shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. 

His talented mouth moves deftly, and he’s kissing a point on her jaw, right below her ear, when she grabs a handful of his hair and pulls him off. “Storage room. _Now_.”

Jughead is well and truly a little shit, jumping over the counter in one smooth motion to follow her into the back. 

She grabs his hand and pulls him into the small storage closet, locking the door behind them. 

It surprises her how quickly she falls apart when he’s touching her. 

But then again, everything about this is surprising - the fact that it’s with Jughead Jones, that despite her better judgment she’s doing this again, that she’s actually having sex at Pop’s of all places. 

It’s all very unexpected. 

Jughead’s hands slip beneath the hem of her uniform and she moans his name as he kisses the pulse point on her neck. 

"So. _Never again…_?" he wonders with a smirk. 

Veronica bites his bottom lip, tugging at it playfully. “Fuck you.”

“Yes,” he agrees. “We both know you like it when I do.” He smirks before getting down on his knees. 

* * *

They look about as disheveled as you’d expect after doing obscene things in a tiny closet for the better part of an hour. 

Veronica’s struggling to tie up her apron when she feels Jughead standing close behind her. 

“Let me,” he whispers, his hands moving over hers to tie it up in a neat bow. 

She clears her throat, turning around to face him. “Thank you.”

“Looks good.” 

There’s not much else to do here, but both seem hesitant to leave the safety of the closet. As if when they’re back out there they’ll have to have it out and sort this mess once and for all. 

Jughead opens the door and gestures with a flourish. “After you, princess.”

Veronica rolls her eyes as she steps out. The nickname sounds insulting coming from him, but she won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing it irks her. 

What’s the adage, she finds herself wondering all of a sudden as she walks into the harsh light of the diner. 

Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.   
  
Veronica isn’t sure what it’s going to be if she sleeps with Jughead a fourth time, and truth be told she’s not certain she wants to find out. 

“Are we going to talk about it?” Jughead asks, hands tucked into his jeans’ back pockets while he rocks on his heels bit.

Veronica arches an eyebrow. “What do you have to say?”

He pauses for a beat, pursing his lips as he considers it. “It turns out we’re not so different, you and I,” he starts. “At the very least, there’s one way in which we’re surprisingly compatible.”

She tilts her head, eyes narrowing a bit as she takes that in. “Yes,” she concedes, “but you forget, we can’t stand each other.”  
  
“And yet...”

“And yet...” She shakes her head, attempting to snap out of whatever this is. “This is nothing. I had an itch, you scratched it.”

Jughead’s lips quirk up when he fights off a smile. “Are we gonna keep scratching the itch?” 

It’s not a stupid question. In fact, it seems to be nearly inevitable at this point. Every time they’ve been alone together over the past two weeks they’ve ended up having sex. 

But still, Veronica crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes at him. “What could you possibly have to offer that would make me want to get in bed with you?”

“I thought we’d already done plenty of show and tell, but if I get something to eat I’m pretty sure I can go another couple of rounds.”

“Are you an idiot?” She tries to sound stern, but a smile is tugging at the corners of her lips.

It’s hard not to when he’s smirking like a little shit with a twinkle in his blue eyes. 

“If we’re gonna do this,” she presses on, “we do it on my terms.”

Jughead spreads his arms out, asks, “And what might those terms be?”

“This is nothing,” she starts. “This is us working off some sexual tension, in private. We are not friends, I’m not your girlfriend or your therapist. I will not hold your hand or heal your broken heart.”

“Oh, I would never expect you to.”

“You get that we’re most definitely _not_ telling anyone about this, right?”

Jughead shrugs a shoulder. “Sneaking around’s the best part.”

Veronica laughs softly at that. This isn’t what she’d been expecting. “It makes it a hell of a lot more interesting, at the very least.”

“Agreed.”

Veronica almost suggests they shake on it, but that would make the whole thing even stranger. Besides, it can’t possibly last. 

This is just...a phase. She’ll sleep with him a few more times and then it’ll be out of her system. 

“I’ll see you around, then,” Jughead says softly before leaving. 

Veronica watches him leave and sighs. 

Yeah, this won’t last. 

* * *

Jughead’s searching for something mildly interesting to watch on Netflix when Toni appears in front of him. 

“You’re blocking the TV,” he mumbles halfheartedly. 

Toni tosses a pair of boxing gloves at his chest. “Come on,” she says, her tone leaving no room for arguing. “Follow me.”

She leads him into a bedroom that appears to have been converted into a gym, complete with various types of punching bags. 

“Perks of having a loaded girlfriend,” Toni shrugs and tightens her gloves. “Cheryl has an archery range in the backyard, and last month she surprised me with this.” She gestures to the gloves he’s holding. “Those should fit you.”

Jughead frowns, looking between the gloves and her. “Yeah, we’re not doing this.”

“Jug, come on! All you’ve been doing is wallowing and sneaking around at odd hours. Plus, I’m guessing you’ve seen Betty and Archie together. They’re _really_ into PDA, it seems. I know you. Makes you want to punch something, doesn’t it?”

Jughead looks away. “I don’t feel anything.”

Toni scoffs. “ _Right_. Look, just glove up. You’ll feel better. Besides, I could use a partner. And I already know you know how to handle yourself in a fight.”

Jughead sighs and does as he’s told, because why the fuck not? Getting some aggression out can’t hurt. So they practice for a few hours, and after enough hits from Toni, his form is definitely getting better. 

“Your left, your right,” Toni holds the bag steady for him, calling out hooks for him, “your left, your left. Come on, harder, fuck’s sakes!”

Jughead laughs, reaching for a water bottle. “This wasn’t terrible,” he admits. 

“You wanna talk about it?”

“What, the inevitable rise of Barchie as Kevin’s so fond of calling it? No, thanks.”

Toni sits down across from him, nudging his sneaker with her foot. “I meant the very _evitable_ fact that you’ve been sneaking around with Veronica Lodge for at least a few weeks now.”

Jughead freezes like a deer caught in headlights. _How the hell does Toni know about that?_

“I’m an early riser,” she adds. “I saw your girl sneak out of here at 5 a.m. a few times last week. And then again at 6:30 two days ago. You’re getting sloppy. She’s sleeping in later than she should if she doesn’t wanna get caught.”

“Did you...”

Toni shakes her head. “I haven’t mentioned it to Cheryl.” 

She loves her girlfriend, but she also _knows_ her girlfriend. This is exactly the kind of information that Cheryl Blossom can be quick to weaponize. 

“What’re you doing, Jug? Using her?”Toni pauses, seems to reconsider. “Or is she using you?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, shrugging his shoulders. “I...don’t know. Maybe we’re using each other. Or maybe it’s just fun.”

“So what’s your play here? Fucking over your best friend by fucking his ex-girlfriend? Or fucking over your ex-girlfriend by fucking her best friend?”

“Works on both levels, I suppose.”

“Extremely elaborate, your plan,” Toni mocks. 

Jughead sighs, taking another pull from the water bottle. “I don’t know, Tone. It’s not even about Archie and Betty. Not anymore.”

 _Maybe not at all_ , he thinks. It’s not like either of them has been on his mind as of late. 

No, when he’s with Veronica, he can only focus on her. 

“You’re getting in over your head here, Juggie.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”

* * *

It’s the second time this week that Jughead’s cut calculus class, and Veronica is annoyed. 

Not that she’s been looking out for him or anything. But he needs to buckle down to graduate this year after everything that’s happened. 

He’s not in any of his usual spots, not hanging by the vending machines or the cafeteria, and she’s already called Pop’s to make sure he’s not loitering in his favorite booth. Truthfully she hadn’t really been expecting to find him in the student lounge, but there he is, feet propped up on the table while he reads. 

Veronica sits down across from him and scoffs. “Of course you’re reading Kerouac.”

Jughead arches an eyebrow, not bothering to put the book down. “And of course you don’t approve,” he shoots back. “Beats not pretentious enough for you, princess?”

“ _On the Road_ is just boring. It meanders, and there’s no real story. Like reading one long run-on sentence. It’s all a bunch of macho posturing and misogyny.” Veronica reaches over to steal one of his fries. “And for the record, not all beats suck. _Off the Road_ was pretty decent.”

Jughead stares at her, mouth agape, as she steals another fry.

“Why are you even reading that right now? I know you’re behind on calculus, and Mr. Robinson won’t grant you an extension.” Veronica kicks him under the table. “Was I not clear when I informed you that you would be graduating this year?” 

Jughead rolls his eyes. “I know this might shock you, but you’re not actually the boss of me, Lodge.” 

Truthfully, he’s so behind the idea of catching up seems almost comical. Not to mention the fact that he’s already lost his spot at Yale, so why even bother?

“And here I thought you liked it when I bossed you around, _sweetheart_ ,” Veronica shoots back with venom. She reaches into her purse and tosses him a notebook. “Stop being lazy, you’re better than that.” 

Jughead thumbs through the pages, frowning. “You’re just giving time the answers?” he asks, incredulous. 

“ _Please_ ,” Veronica shakes her head. “You need to show your work if you want the credit. Those are just so you can make sure you got them right. I know you’re shit at maths.” She reaches to steal a final fry before gathering her things and leaving. “You’re welcome.”

Jughead watches her go - _and Jesus, is he seriously becoming that guy who always watches her when she walks away_? - and calls out: “Why do you even care?” 

Veronica stops and looks at him from over her shoulder. “They’ve screwed us over enough,” she says. “And we couldn’t control that, couldn’t do anything at all to change it, but we can control this. We can graduate and put this shit in the rear-view mirror. We can get out of Riverdale.” She keeps walking, adds, “Do the work, Jughead,” without sparing him another look. 

And Jughead...well, Jughead pulls out his calc textbook and gets to work. 

* * *

“This is the last time,” Veronica says halfheartedly. 

“You say that every time.” Her bra comes off with just a slip of Jughead’s fingers and he gives her that look. 

She closes the distance between their mouths, determined to kiss the knowing smirk right off of his face.

If only she knew that’s part of what he likes the most. 

It’s one of the rare times they’re at the Pembrooke, since Veronica’s parents are out of town again. They’d started undressing as soon as they got out of the elevator, leaving a trail of their clothes all the way into the living room, both of them down to just their underwear now. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Jughead asks, half-teasing. 

“I told you what I wanted the first time we did this. Do you remember?”

How could he ever forget? _I just want you to fuck me. Do you know how?_

“Vividly,” he answers with a grin. 

“In that case,” Veronica says, “would you hurry up and _do it_?”

“Demanding, aren’t you?” But without warning he thrust his hips. _Oh, god._

“ _Ronnie_ ,” Jughead murmurs with a smile in his voice. “You should have told me you were desperate.”

Veronica grits her teeth. “Shut. _Up_.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” His lips brush her ear and she actually moans at the contact. “You seem to come so much faster when I remind you of how badly you want it.”

“ _Jughead_!”

“Veronica.” He laughs, kisses her softly. “Let go, trust me,” he whispers in her ear. 

And for some reason, Veronica does...

* * *

  
They make it to Veronica’s bed eventually, after they’re both completely worn out. 

“Hey, how’d you do on the physics test?” Veronica asks, turning on her side to look at him. “You heard back about it today, right?”

Jughead turns, mirroring her position. “A-,” he says before pecking her lips. “Thanks for the notes.”

The whole thing is over in a second, and then Jughead is laying back down, lacing his fingers behind his head. Still, something about the gesture had felt oddly... _intimate_. 

Even weirder, Veronica hadn’t immediately found it off-putting. 

“You’re welcome,” she replies, perhaps a bit too late for it to sound casual, but Jughead doesn’t seem to notice. 

He looks comfortable in her bed, in her room. It feels strange somehow. 

“Cheryl and Toni invited me to movie night this Friday.” Attempting to change the subject seems like the safest course of action right now. “You okay with that or will it be awkward?”

Jughead frowns, but doesn’t reply. It’s something he’s been debating for the past few weeks, whether he should tell Veronica that Toni knows about...well, whatever this is. 

With a sigh, he decides to bite the bullet. “It’s fine with me,” he starts, “just...um, Toni figured it out. That we’ve been... _you know._ She saw you sneak out a few times in the morning and she put it together.”

Veronica bolts to sit upright at that. “Toni _knows_?! How long?”

The sheet had slid down when Veronica sat up, and it takes Jughead a minute to focus on something that’s not her breasts. In fact, he doesn’t react until she snaps her fingers.

“Eyes up here,” she commands. “ _How long_ , Jughead?”

“A couple of weeks now.”

“And you didn’t think that was something important you should’ve mentioned?” Veronica’s already out of bed, reaching for her robe. For some reason, she doesn’t want to have this conversation naked. 

“You’re the one who keeps saying this is casual, and you don’t care,” Jughead points out. “You can't say this is no big deal and then act like everything will implode if everyone finds out. You have to pick one.”

Veronica takes his hand and pulls him to his feet. “I do whatever I damn well please,” she says.

They look at each other for a minute. 

“So I’ve noticed,” Jughead replies. 

_What I can’t figure out is why I like it so much,_ is what he doesn’t say aloud. 

“Look, she won’t tell Cheryl. In fact, she hasn’t mentioned it beyond letting me know that she knows.” Jughead reaches for his boxers and slides them on. “This doesn’t have to change things.”

Veronica chews on her lower lip as she considers this. She trusts Toni, knows she can keep a secret better than most people in this town. But something about someone knowing that she and Jughead are...well, whatever they are. It makes it feel a bit more real somehow. 

He moves to stand behind her and sighs, resting his chin on her shoulder. The small contact makes Veronica’s body relax somehow, and it’s weird because she hadn’t even felt herself tense up before.

“Nothing has to change,” he repeats with an even tone. “And you should definitely come. Otherwise Cheryl will make me watch _Bring It On_ on repeat.”

“And what makes you think I won’t vote to watch the entire _Bring It On_ series, Torombolo?” she teases with a smirk, and it’s like they’re back to normal then. 

* * *

Things are finally settled into a rhythm of sorts now that the last of senior semester has started to wind down. 

Veronica works and studies and goes to cheerleading practice, and she continues to sleep with Jughead on the side, and it’s all perfectly fine. 

Jughead manages to catch up enough to graduate with a decent GPA and he babysits Juniper and Dagwood and against all odds actually _enjoys_ living at Thistlehouse. The fact that he smiles every time he sees Veronica or that they end up in bed together every other day is irrelevant really. 

Things are casual after all. Friends with benefits, nothing more. 

Except that Reggie’s been getting... _close_ with Veronica. 

Not that Jughead’s been paying attention, just that it’s been easy to notice. It’s no secret that Reggie had fallen for Veronica once upon a time. They work together, and they’re friends, and that’s _fine_. 

Except the other night at Le Bonne Nuit, Jughead had noticed what seemed like an intense conversation between Reggie and Veronica and there’d been hand holding and hugging and then Veronica pressed a kiss to Reggie’s cheek, and Jughead hadn’t been staring honestly, but you know...he’d just _noticed_ is all. 

Of course, when he casually brings it up, Veronica is quick to give him the runaround. God, she’s infuriating sometimes.

“You’re really terrible about sharing personal shit. You know that, right?”

“So I’ve heard,” she says, but she’s smiling. She shakes her head. “We’re no good for each other.”

Jughead frowns. “Am I missing something here?”

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, _lover boy_.” She slides her bra back on and sits across from him. 

“I am not!” he gasps, somewhat offended at the accusation.

Veronica laughs at that. “ _Sure_. You’re sounding a little pussy-whipped right now. Don’t worry, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I often have that effect,” she shrugs. “It happens all the time.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not happening to me,” Jughead’s quick to reply.

Veronica brings a hand up to cup his cheek and shakes her head. “We should end this. It’s gone on long enough, and I’m not sure what the point of it is anymore. We should just leave it.”

He leans into the touch and furrows his brow. “No point, just...” he trails off and sighs. “What if we just go with it?”

She pulls her hand back and considers the idea. “What would that even look like?”

Jughead swallows and leans in. “Like this,” he whispers before tangling his fingers in her hair and pulling her in for a kiss. 

She’s on top of him in no time, her own fingers undoing her bra clasp, and he can’t help but to ask, “I thought we were leaving it...”

“We are leaving it,” Veronica nods, presses a quick kiss to his neck. “Just little by little.”

“For someone that’s leaving it, you look really turned on right now,” he chuckles as she tugs down his boxers once more. 

“Yeah, rich girl stuff,” she jokes, “we never know when to quit. Makes no sense.”

* * *

Later, when they’re collapsed in bed again, this time both a little too discombobulated to move quite yet, Veronica settles against his chest. 

“He invited me on a date,” she says quietly, her fingers absentmindedly drawing patterns across Jughead’s skin. “ _Reggie_. He was asking me out last night. I told him I wasn’t interested, though. It was all very proper and civilized.”

“Well...thanks for telling me.” Before he can think better of it, he leans down to press a kiss to the top of her head. 

_God, he loves this girl._

The thought hits him like a freight train. 

Fuck. He _loves_ her? 

_Fuck_!

**Author's Note:**

> let me know if you want me to keep going or nah.


End file.
